Finger-board for musical instruments.



P. GONSOLI. FINGER BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 9 1910.

973,71 9. Patented 0013.25, 1910.

I m Z oi y , 4 dmzfl m Mme/1 FRANK CONSOLI,

or BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK.

FINGER-BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Latent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

Application filed June 29, 1910. Serial No. 569,532.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANK CoNsoLr, citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger-Boards for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to finger boards for musical instruments for violins and stringed musical instruments of like character, and has for its object the construction of a finger board provided with substitutes for frets having special formation and arrangement whereby it is believed means are introduced to enable a player, particularly a beginner, to quickly and definitely ascertain the proper position whereon to place the finger to produce a desired tone or note, and by the introduction of which means the appearance of the finger board is not materially changed.

This invention consists in forming narrow recesses across the finger board at predetermined distances from each other, and in placing pieces of metal or other chosen material in the recesses, leaving a very shallow space near the top of each recess unoccupied.

The construction and arrangement constituting this invention is set forth in the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 represents a Iront or face view of a finger board constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a section lengthwise on the line w-a; of Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 is a cross section on line yy of Fig. 1.

The same letter is employed to refer to the same partthroughout the description and drawings.

Considering the drawings, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a finger board of usual size and construction marked A. Across the finger board A at chosen intervals are formed the recesses B, and in each recess there is placed a piece of material C, tnat may be slightly wedge-shaped, as shown in Fig. 2. While in Fig. 3, the cross piece 0 is shown as curved in correspondence with the surface of the finger board A, that form is not es sential, as the bottom of the recess may ex tend straight across the finger board. It is believed to be clear, however, that the curved cross piece C enables the recess B to be of the same depth throughout, and the finger board is not materially weakened or rendered liable to become broken across, which would be the case if the bottom of the recess extended in a straight line across the finger board.

In Fig. 3, the depth of the unoccupied upper part of the recess B is best shown.

In playing the instrument, for example, assuming this invention to be applied to a violin, it is found by experiment that the strings may be perfectly stopped at the recesses indicating the note positions, while the gliding movements of the fingers from one portion of the finger board to another position is in no way interfered with. The thus marking both visually and to the sense of touch of the finger positions for the production of the various notes is particularly useful in the case of beginners, and it is also essential that there shall be no obstacles upon the surface of the finger board to prevent the easy and rapid sliding of the fingers along it.

The cross pieces C may be of any chosen material, but, they are usually of metal as stated, and,therefore, of different color from the customary ebony of the finger board, thus rendering the positions of the substitutes for frets clearly visible.

Having now described this invention, and explained the mode of its operation, what I claim and seek to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A finger board for musical instruments having narrow recesses in its upper surface extending across the finger board, and cross pieces less in width than the depth of the said recesses, the said cross pieces being constructed to fit tightly in said recesses, and the said cross pieces being placed upon the bottoms of the recesses leaving a portion of each recess at the top empty whereby the position of each recess may be detected by touch.

2. A finger board for musical instruments having narrow wedge-shaped recesses in its upper surface extending across the finger board, and wedge-shaped cross pieces less in width than the depth of the said recesses, the said cross pieces being constructed to fit tightly in said recesses, and the said cross pieces being placed upon the bottoms of the recesses leaving a portion of each recess at the top empty whereby the position of each recess may be detected by touch.

3. A finger board for musical instruments having narrow recesses in its upper surface extending across the finger board the upper tion of each recess at the top is left empty 10 surface of the finger board being curved whereby the position of each recess may be transversely and the bottoms of said recesses detected by touch.

being curved correspondingly, and cross In testimony whereof I affiX my signature pieces less in Width than the depth of said in presence of two Witnesses.

recesses, the said cross pieces being curved FRANK CONSOLI. and constructed to fit tightly in said recesses, WVitnesses:

and the said cross pieces being placed upon LUIGI DI PAOLO,

the bottoms of the said recesses and a por- SAVERIO GALLo. 

